War club (Knobkerrie)- Wood – Bantu Region – Tanzania

Old wooden war club (Knobkerrie) from the Banu Region Tanzania. Carved wood bulb-shaped bludgeon on long shaft, with a carved face.

Knobkerrie clubs are attributed to over 120 different cultural groups in Tanzania and more cultures spanning Eastern and Southern Africa. The word knobkerrie literally translates to ‘stick with a ball at its end.’ Scholars suggest that their uses were varied, but functioned as weapons, prestige objects, forms of identification, and as bride price. Because they are symbols of manhood the clubs are most often, if not always, held by men. Knobkerries are almost always made of wood, but few rare examples feature heads made of stone or have inclusions of metal or beads.

Provenance: former private collection from the Netherlands